Human resources jobs vary in complexity. At their core are specific important cognitive skills essential for performing all day-to-day duties and occasional, more complex ones. While intelligence is certainly important, you require a variety of other cognitive abilities to land a human resources job and progress in your career.

Education

The standard educational requirement for an HR job is a degree or diploma in the field from an accredited college or university. Naturally, such an achievement requires cognitive skills. Courses prepare you for all relevant HR functions, including organizational development, health and safety, recruitment, labor relations and managerial accounting. You need to be able to memorize and analyze things like law, human needs and case studies to pass exams. Managerial accounting requires a skill with numbers, which you must analyze to detect revenue shortfalls and track costs on paper.

Administration

Entry-level human resources positions -- such as human resources clerk or human resources assistant -- are usually limited to administration and support functions. This can involve dealing with various tasks at once, requiring multitasking skills. It is also essential to possess organizational skills to prioritize tasks and organize paperwork. Critical thinking is important, because you need to understand the work given to you. This is even more crucial with upper-level positions, such as labor relations specialists and human resources generalists, where tasks are more complex and have a greater impact, especially if mistakes are made.

Problem-solving

When organizing and administering all aspects of your work force, leadership and critical thinking are essential cognitive skills. At any level, you may be required to help solve a sudden crisis or lead a special project. You need to be able to take charge of any situation while considering your options and their potential impact based on the information available. Critical thinking is also necessary for recruitment and selection. Recruiters need to be able to analyze résumés and assess candidates before and after their interviews. Hiring the wrong people is costly, considering the time and money required for training.

People Skills

While virtually anyone can deal with the public, knowing how to properly do so is a cognitive skill you need to master in HR. This is why recruiters often scan résumés for customer service experience. Such a background can be as simple as working in retail, call centers or front desks. You also need to understand how to deal with others internally. Conflict resolution, diplomacy and tact are all skills necessary to keep your job. Inability to control your emotions or act appropriately when faced with a personal conflict could result in disciplinary measures or even termination.

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About the Author

Alex Saez is a writer who draws much of his information from his professional and academic experience. Saez holds a Bachelor of Arts in English literature from Queen's University and an advanced diploma in business administration, with a focus on human resources, from St. Lawrence College in Kingston, Ontario.